Vehicle-brake for use on hay-racks.



L. BROWN. VEHICLE BRAKE FOR USE 0N HAY RAGKS. PPLIUATION FILED MAY zo, 1911.

1 ,006,058, v Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

WITNESSES: K INVENTOR.

LUTHER BROWN, OiV PLATTE COUNTY, NEAR RUSHVILLE, MISSOURI.

VEHICLE-BRAKE FOR USE ON HAY-RACKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

Application filed May 26, 1911. Serial No. 629,694.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Platte county, near Rushville, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful lImprovements in Vehicle-Brakes for Use in Hay- Racks, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of vehicle brakes which are used on hay racks, the objects of which are to provide a simple, substantial, durable and efficient brake which can be conveniently operated by the driver of a vehicle on which a hay rack is being used whether said driver is seated o-n said rack while the same is empty, or is seated on a load of hay, or the like, on said rack.

Further objects are to so construct said brake, that the front ladder can be raised and lowered without causing any change in the tension of the brake pulling member, and to so construct said brake, that the same shall be extremely cheap in cost of manufacture and can readily be applied to the ordinary hay racks now generally in use.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a front elevation of the parts as they appear when the hay rack is loaded. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts seen in Fig. 1, looking toward the right. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section in detail, of the ladder pivotsleeve, on the line X X seen in Fig. 2, looking toward the left. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section in detail, on are line Y Y, seen in Fig. 3 looking downward and showing one of the other various forms of iieXible pulling members which may be used.

Referring to Fig. 1, ladder 1 is formed of ladder sides 1 and 1, a plurality of rungs 2 secured in said sides, and the diagonal brace 3, secured thereon for rendering said ladder rigid. Said rungs are suitably spaced for forming a ladder, on the front of which, the driver, (not shown,) vmay conveniently climb onto the top of hay 4. From this point said driver can conveniently operate the brake lever 5, pivotally secured by pivot 6 to the lower one of rungs 2. On the rung next above said pivot is secured the segment of ratchets 7, releasably engaged by lever latch bolt 8, adapted to be operated by the rod connected latch lever 8', i

for releasablyholding lever 5 at various positions. The upper end portion of said lever is guided between the upper one of rungs 2 and lever guide 9, secured to said rung with space blocks 9 secured between the outer ends of said rung and guide.

When in use, the described ladder sides are incline-d forward and are leaned againstfront cross piece 10a of the hereinafter described hay rack. Saidy cross piece is reinforced by bearing blocks 10b, secured thereon, for adding bearing surface thereto, for said ladder sides. Said cross piece is secured on hay rack sides 10 and 10', across the front ends thereof. The longitudinal hay supports 10C, have their front ends secured on cross piece 10, while the rear ends and intermediate portions of said hay supports are supported in any well known substantial manner, known to the hay rack builders art, and since the rear portion of the described hay rack embodies no element of my invention, the same is neither shown nor described. The lower end of ladder side 1 is pivotally secured to the front end portion of rack side 10 by bolt and nut 11. Referring to Fig. 3, the lower end of ladder side 1 is pivotally secured to hay l rack side 10', by the following described parts. Guide 12 has guide sleeve 13 and wheel casing 111 formed therewith. The inner end portion of said sleeve has screw threads 13 lformed thereon. Space sleeve 15, (formed of a piece of pipe,) isl loosely inserted in an aperture through the lower end of ladder side 1 and washer '16 is placed against the outer side of said ladder side while washer V17 is placed against/the inner side of the same. Sleeve 13 is passed through an aperture through the front end portion of rack side 10', washer 16, space sleeve '15 and washer 17, against which nut 18 is tightly screwed, on the threaded end 13 of sleeve 13, after which cable guide 12 is further secured on rack side 10 by screws 12.

It will be seen that the described parts seen in Fig. 3, provide substantial securing means for securing cable guide 12 on hay rack side 10', and at the same time furnish hollow pivotal securing means for ladder side 1', on which the same may be freely rotated, and also provide cable guiding means through the center of said pivotal securing means, and herein lies the prime element of my invention. Idle wheel 19 is rotatably mount-ed in wheel casing 14.

Referring to Fig. 1, the front end of the flexible pulling cable 2O is secured to the lower end portion of brake lever 5, at a point directly in line with the center of sleeve 1B. The rear end of said cable is passed through sleeve 13, cable guide 12, around the outer side of wheel 19 and through wheel casing 14; thence backward, as seen in Fig. 2. Said flexible pulling cable has its rear end passed through an aperture in the upper end of brake arm 21, and is doubled upon itself, is thereafter drawn to the desired tension for adjustment of said cable, and the doubled portion of said member is secured in said adjust-ment by clamp 22.

In operation, with the parts in position seen in Fig. 1, the operator, seated on hay 4 grasps the upper end portion of lever 5 and thereby manually rotates said lever on pivot 6, in the direction indicated by arrow 23, thereby drawing iiexible cable 20, which latter draws the upper end of brake arm 21, (see Fig. 2) t-oward the right, for setting an ordinary brake, in the usual manner. Since said ordinary brake may be any one of the many kinds of brakes now generally in use, and forms no part of my invention, the same is neither shown nor described. When the described hay rack is emptied of hay 4, ladder 1 is rotated on its previously described pivots from the position seen in Figs. 1 and 2, to the position indicated by dotted lines 1a, seen in Fig. 2. l/Vhile the parts are in the latter position the indicated brake lever 5a is conveniently operated by said driver while he is seated on hay support 10C. Since cable 2() is drawn through the center of sleeve 13, the described rotation of ladder 1, causes no change in the tension of cable 20.

While I have shown the flexible pulling member 2O in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 as being a cable, and the idle wheel 19 adapted to be used with said cable, it is evident that any other form of flexible pulling member, adapted to pull a brake arm 21 could be used without departing fro-m the spirit of my invention, and further, that Aany other form of idle wheel 19, adapted to be used with said other form of flexible member may be used in like manner. One of such other forms of flexible pulling members and idle wheels therefor are shown in Fig. 4, in which the chain 20a and the idle wheel 19a are held to be equivalent to the member 20 and wheel 19 respectively.

I am aware that hay rack brakes have been invented, wherein brake sett-ing members are pulled by member pulling means, mounted on pivotally supported front ladders, and therefore do not broadly claim such; but in all such hay rack brakes of which I am aware, the parts are so constructed and operated, that the tensions of said members are changed by the rotations of said ladders on their pivots. Therefore,

TvVhat I claim as new and original, and desire to secure by Lette-rs Patent is The combination with a hay rack having a. front ladder pivotally secured thereto, of a sleeve, a member guide and a wheel casing formed integral of one piece, said sleeve being passed inward through an aperture in one of the sides of said rack and extended inward therefrom, with said member guide and wheel casing against the outer side of said rack side, said sleeve having a screw threaded portion formed on the inner end thereof; a washer on said sleeve against the inner side of said rack side; a space sleeve on said sleeve and against said washer, said spacesleeve having the lower end of one of the sides of said ladder loosely mounted thereon; another washer mounted on said sleeve against said space sleeve; a nut on said screw threaded portion of said sleeve screwed against said other washer; an idle wheel rotatably mounted in said wheel casing; and securing means whereby said member guide is secured in place.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LUTHER BROVN.

Witnesses ELLswonTi-I BLOCK, GALEN. B. ANDERSON.

Gopies o f this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

